• High-resolution x-ray 3D imaging of bone micro-structure

    Osteoporosis impact on public health is sharply increasing justifying a significant effort to diagnose,  treat and understand this disease. Bones have been imaged with x-rays for almost a century and the basic technology for clinical imaged is well stablished, but with the recent development of large scale synchrotron light sources and high-end microfocus x-ray generators, imaging of the intricate bone inner structure with a few micron resolution become possible. Laser driven betatron x-ray sources were investigated as an alternative source for x-ray bone microscopy. A lenseless x-ray microscope was built and used to demonstrate the feasibility of high-resolution bone imaging in the Astra-Gemini laser facility (UK). A sample of femur trabecular bone was imaged from multiple angles and a 3D model of the bone was built using tomographic techniques to a resolution below 50 micron. This demonstration renew the interest in the development of compact laser-plasma electron accelerators and…

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